The Bush administration should disclose more about
a deal that would give a United Arab Emirates-based
company management of six major U.S. seaports, former Homeland Security
Secretary Tom Ridge said Monday.

The deal -- which will affect the ports of New York
and New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Miami,
Florida; and New Orleans, Louisiana -- has triggered security concerns among
some members of Congress and the public.

The Bush administration has said the UAE is a key ally
in the war on terror.

Others, however, point out that two of the September
11, 2001, hijackers were from the UAE. In addition, most of the hijackers
received money channeled through various sources based in the UAE, according
to the Justice Department and the 9/11 Commission.

Earlier this month, shareholders of the U.K.-based
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) approved the
company's acquisition by Thunder FZE, a subsidiary of Dubai-based Dubai
Ports World.

P&O directs commercial operations at the six U.S.
ports. The takeover by DPW means that the Dubai company will be in charge
of those operations.

On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat,
held a news conference with relatives of some of those killed in the terrorist
attacks, and denounced the takeover. (Watch lawmakers call for deal to be
stopped -- 2:55)

"Outsourcing the operation of our largest ports
to a country with long involvement in terrorism is a homeland security accident
waiting to happen," he said.

Other members of Congress have also been critical of
the deal. On Friday, Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and
Hillary Clinton of New York announced they were working on legislation that
would ban companies owned by foreign governments from controlling operations
at U.S. ports.

Some Republican lawmakers have also expressed concern
over the deal, including New York Rep. Peter King and South Carolina Sen.
Lindsey Graham.

"We certainly should investigate it," Graham
said Sunday on Fox News.

A Dubai Ports World spokesman told CNN that the firm
has received all the necessary regulatory approvals, and that the security
systems in place at the ports would only get better under the new management.

"All DP World ports are [International Security
Port System] certified, as are any P&O ports in the U.S.," the
spokesman said. "We intend to maintain or enhance current security
arrangements, and this is business as usual for the P&O terminals."

Michael Seymour, the president of P&O's North American
operations, said the company "has long worked with U.S. government
officials in charge of security at the ports to meet all U.S. government
standards."

"We are confident that the DP World purchase will
ensure that our operations will continue to meet all relevant standards,"
he said.

Ridge said that during his tenure as secretary of Homeland
Security from October 2001 to February 2005, he sat in on deals with similar
national security concerns, and that he believes U.S. officials would not
jeopardize national security.

But he also told CNN, "I think the anxiety and
the concern [over the deal] that has been expressed by congressmen and senators
and elsewhere is legitimate."

Industry official alleges 'racism'
A port security expert, meanwhile, told CNN that fears that the agreement
will reduce U.S. security are based on "bigotry" and that "shameless"
politicians are creating an issue they think will resonate with the public.

Kim Petersen, head of SeaSecure, a U.S.-based maritime
security company, and executive director of the Maritime Security Council
-- which represents 70 percent of the world's ocean shipping -- told CNN,
"This whole notion that Dubai is going to control or set standards
for U.S. ports is a canard ... is factually false."

Dubai Ports World, like all port owners, must abide
by the Maritime Transportation Security Act passed by Congress in 2002 and
International Ship and Port Facility Security codes enacted in 2004, he
said. Both sets of security measures are enforced in the United States by
the U.S. Coast Guard.

Petersen said DPW will be under "identical"
security obligations, and said opposition to the purchase "comes down
to bigotry [against] Arabs, which is one of the last acts of racism that
is allowed by American society."

Petersen said the company has an "exemplary"
record of security compliance certification.

Michael Chertoff, Ridge's successor as homeland security
secretary, defended the deal in appearances on talk shows Sunday. He said
federal law required a review of the sale by a committee that includes officials
from the Homeland Security, Treasury and Commerce departments, along with
the FBI and the Pentagon.

"We examine the transaction; we look at what the
issue of the threat is. If necessary, we build in conditions or requirements
that, for extra security, would have to be met in order to make sure that
there isn't a compromise to national security," Chertoff said on CNN's
"Late Edition."

An FBI spokesman who asked not to be identified by
name, however, said, "The FBI general counsel sits on the inter-agency
board. We looked at it, and in this case, since it was a port issue, we
deferred to the Department of Homeland Security."

Karen Hughes, U.S. undersecretary of state for public
diplomacy, also said the proposal went through a thorough security review.

"There is a longstanding partnership between our
two countries," she told CNN.

And U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, during
a roundtable with Arab print journalists last week, said of the deal, "there
was a thorough review. It was decided that this could be done and done safely."

Ridge: 'Transparency' needed
But Ridge said, "The bottom line is, I think we need a little bit more
transparency here. There are some legitimate concerns about who would be
in charge of hiring and firing, security measures, added technology in these
ports that we'll need to upgrade our security.

"So I think it's very appropriate for the administration
to go to the Hill and explain why they think they have not compromised security
and, in fact, as they've announced, they will enhance and improve security,"
he said. "It's tough to see that right now on the surface."

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